Different rail plans for D.C.'s Inauguration Day

Mindful of the surge in riders during (and leading up to) Inauguration Day 2009, Washington, D.C.-area rail operators are preparing for comparable events of Jan. 21, 2013—but in very different ways.

According to the Washington Examiner, Virginia Railway Express will not operate at all on Jan. 21, despite providing such service on previous events. "Last time, the estimates of people going to the city were so large but we do not expect the same numbers this time around," VRE said in a statement. VRE also noted Inauguration Day 2013 is also the Martin Luther King federal holiday, when VRE normally would not operate.

VRE's Maryland counterpart, MARC, says it will run limited service Inauguration Day on its Penn Line, part of Amtrak's Northeast Corridor, which terminates at Washington Union Station.

WMATA Metrorail will extend its operating hours on Inauguration Day, running from 4:00 a.m. until 2:00 a.m. the following morning, and offering peak service for much of the day. It will be charging peak Metrorail fares until 9 p.m. and regular parking rates instead of the usual lower holiday rates and free parking.